2 MusicWeek 01.06.12 NEWS EDITORIAL


These shoots are made for waterin’


Well that happened bloody suddenly. It was only a few months ago that the BPI was hiding an


unwelcome late Christmas present within the fancy wrapping of (oooh!) digital music percentages and (aaaah!) soaring streaming revenues. But there it was, stinking up the New Year like a gone-off turkey


curry: -5.6%– the ugly figure that told us 2011 represented yet another annual decline for the UK recorded albums market. Yet the number that surely galled record labels even more –


except, perhaps, in front of HMV and supermarket folk - was the weedy 23.5% overall market share for digital products. CD, it appeared, would be king of Britain for some time yet.


And if the industry didn’t want to see its overall worth tumble sharply, it needed to stop fantasising about a digital revolution - about becoming ‘the next Sweden’ - and revert to working out how to sell increasingly unpopular plastic squares to pirates. ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,’ and all that. But


when the bathwater’s gone stone cold and your baby’s bawling like its got chili powder in its Pampers, no-one’s smiling.


“These figures represent a shift in consumer behaviour; one with significant potential for the industry and the UK economy”


But what’s this? A growing Q1 market without a new Adele


album AND digital driving the increase? Subscription revenues up over DOUBLE year-on-year? (Yes, that’s the second time I’ve capitalised that word in two pages. What of it? It’s such a sexy collection of letters, I’ll do it again if I can get away with it.) The 15.6% decline in CD sales this Q1 could be explained two


ways: (i) Cannibalistic streaming revenues are biting at retail; or (ii) The ginormous popularity of Ms. Adkins in the physical realm in Q1 2011 is being sorely missed. The woeful overall album sales from the past couple of weeks can fuel both arguments. The fact remains, however, that underpinning the Q1 debate is


that beautiful 2.7%upwards arrow. And in a world where British artists make up 12.6% of total


world sales of recorded music - but their home nation has half that share in international trade of services (including those ‘financial services’ that are swallowing up all of our savings) – it’s high time to start making even louder demands of Government. And, for once, expecting some realistic help back. This isn’t the first time the UK industry has had vulnerable


reason to cheer: in 2009, lest we forget, the annual market grew 1.4% in revenue. And Q3 2011 was up 1.9% year-on-year. But those figures were papering over the cracks. Today’s


represent what appears to be a genuine shift in consumer behaviour: one with significant growth potential not just for the music industry, but for the UK economy as a whole. It would be a tragedy if our own Government now failed to


offer, in the face of such pleasing evidence, the gentle legislative catalyst Britain’s storied music industry requires to finally emulate our friends in Scandinavia. Oh, and if the Coalition’s only excuse not to is ‘being a bit


distracted by the Olympics’, that goes DOUBLE. (See – told you I’d do it.) Tim Ingham, Editor


Do you have views on this column? Feel free to comment by emailing tim.ingham@intentmedia.co.uk POPARABIA LAUNCH HIGHLIGHTS REGION’S POTENTIAL


New publishing outfit scores Universal deal in Middle East


PUBLISHING  BY TIM INGHAM


A


new music publishing company in the Middle East has become the


exclusive representative in the Arab world for Universal Music Publishing Group, the Universal Production Music Library and Imagem Music Group, PopArabia has been created by


Abu Dhabi Government initiative twofour54, which calls itself “the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s leading media and entertainment hub”. The new music publishing


and rights consultancy has been created by entrepreneur Hussain Spek Yoosuf (pictured) and financed and supported by twofour54. It seeks to represent the


world’s leading music catalogues to ensure music rights are licensed appropriately in all forms of media, including; film, mobile, online, broadcast and advertising. Those behind PopArabia


hope the venture will monetise international and regional rights, create a profitable arena for new and existing talent, and ensure


Hussain Spek Yoosuf: ‘PopArabia will pave the way’


PopArabia is helping to pave the way for more international music stakeholders to benefit from and grow this exciting market.” PopArabia’s catalogue now


includes major pop hits and songs from a variety of genres and eras, as well as the widest body of production music available in the MENA region. Andrew Jenkins, EVP for


that international music publishing businesses see the potential of the MENA market. Wayne Borg, twofour54


deputy CEO and chief operating officer said: “Music already plays a key part in the growing media and entertainment industry across the region, but by ensuring that its use is properly and transparently monetised, PopArabia can help prospective Arabic musicians to understand that music can be a business not just a passion.” Hussain Spek Yoosuf


commented: “All of my work in music rights in the UAE has been focused on developing a sustainable and thriving music industry regionally. “As the region’s creative,


entertainment and media industry grows and develops,


Asia Pacific Region and industry affairs at Universal Music Publishing Group said: “I am delighted to be working with PopArabia and twofour54 as we at Universal Music Publishing Group continue to make the best music in the world available to the global marketplace. “There can be an exciting


future for the music business in the region and it is great to be working with people who want to create the conditions necessary for a thriving creative community to evolve.” “We are delighted to welcome


PopArabia to our international network of publishing partners,” said Imagem Music Group CEO André de Raaff. “The MENA region has


enormous potential for our wide variety of musical genres."


Sony DADC outlines extended portfolio for Enfield


Sony DADC’s new Enfield centre will accommodate an added focus on business-to- consumer solutions as part of a new ‘future-proof ’ portfolio. Following the announcement


of plans to launch a new distribution hub this summer - to replace the original Enfield centre that was completely destroyed in last year’s riots - GM of Distribution UK at Sony DADC Natasha Tyrrell said: “The building is bigger and better as well as being more flexible and portable in order to satisfy not just the short-term with the disc market but the long-term too. “We’ll extend our portfolio in


terms of what we’re able to support for our customers and clients. We’ve got the disc


element but we want to include a non-disc element and the service that’s associated with that, supporting our clients as they evolve into different areas such as merchandising products, the technology sector and so on. “We’re really looking at


business-to-consumer, because that will become quite prolific. “One of the things that High


Street retailers have already started to do is look towards the online market. The direct-to- consumer offering keeps their


overheads down and gives them greater flexibility. Expanding that range significantly was really important.” One thing that won’t change,


however, is the Enfield site’s personnel. Tyrrell praised staff members’ mettle, considering the stressful circumstances caused by last year’s riots, and described the Enfield workforce as “absolutely critical”. “Our people have made Sony


DADC what it is today,” she said. “Their skills are second to none and I have to say, at this point, so are their backbones! “I just want to say thank you


to our staff and clients for supporting us. It was a very difficult time and without that support we would have been in a very different place.”


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